Collingwood claim 16th AFL premiership after edging out Brisbane in grand final classic

Magpies beat Lions 12.18 (90) to 13.8 (86) in front of 100,000 fans.

CHAMPIONS: The Magpies celebrate during the 2023 AFL Grand Final match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 30, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. Pic: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

It was the little things that delivered Collingwood this premiership. It was little moments, lots of little victories that all added up, that all took a toll on Brisbane, and that gradually wore the Lions down. It was a lunging fist here, and a risky and well executed kick there. It was the Magpies’ almost psychotic pressure in a narrow, four-point win that secured a record-equalling 16th AFL flag.

It was a grand final that came down to about a dozen key moments, and it was Collingwood that managed those moments better in front of 100,000 at a sun-soaked MCG. All those little things culminated in an extraordinary father/son moment, with Peter Moore, the bionic footballer who played in four losing grand finals, handing the Premiership cup to his son.